1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fasteners for attaching articles (e.g., wiring harnesses) to object members (e.g. body panels of a vehicle). More particularly, the present invention relates to fasteners for attaching articles to object members, which fasteners can be attached to the object members by inserting anchors of the fasteners into insertion holes formed in the object members.
2. Description of Related Art
A known fastener is taught by, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 52-1364. The known fastener includes a base to which a wiring harness (i.e., an article) can be connected, an anchor that is configured to be inserted into an attaching hole formed in a body panel (i.e., an object member) of a vehicle. The anchor is mainly composed of a center pillar that is vertically projected from the base, and a pair of engagement strips that are respectively laterally obliquely projected from a distal end of the pillar.
In order to attach the wiring harness to the body panel, the wiring harness is connected to the base of the fastener. Thereafter, the anchor is simply pressed into the attaching hole of the body panel, so as to be inserted thereinto while the engagement strips are respectively inwardly flexed. When the anchor is sufficiently inserted into the attaching hole, the engagement strips elastically engage an inner periphery of the attaching hole, so that the anchor can be retained therein. As a result, the fastener is attached to the body panel. Thus, the wiring harness can be attached to the body panel by the fastener.
Further, the anchor has a pressure receiving block that is formed in the distal end of the pillar. The pressure receiving block has a curved or chamfered guide surface that is formed in an outer surface thereof. The guide surface is shaped such that the anchor can be smoothly introduced into the attaching hole even when the anchor is obliquely inserted thereinto. That is, the guide surface is shaped to first contact a periphery of the attaching hole when the anchor is pressed into the attaching hole, so that the anchor can be smoothly introduced into the attaching hole.
According to the fastener thus constructed, because the guide surface is formed in the pressure receiving block of the anchor, the anchor can be smoothly introduced into the attaching hole even when the anchor is pressed into the attaching hole obliquely. However, the fastener can be attached to the body panel while the anchor is maintained in an inclined posture. As a result, the fastener may not be stably attached to the body panel. This means that the fastener may not have a sufficient load capacity. Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved fastener.